Yeah, I’ve come to be not a huge fan of that sort of thing either. I mean, I get it but plot contrivances usually bother me more and more often lately and just take me out of the story every time I see them. Luckily, most are relatively minor and I can still enjoy movies in general.
You know, just once, I wish something like that would happen. Like, the hero, or the villain, whichever, just kills their adversary the first chance they get, half an hour into the movie, just to see what happens afterward. Who can say?
While we’re at it, can we have a bomb with a ticking clock be stopped sometime a little more realistic than .0001 seconds before it goes off? With all the work that had to be done beforehand on that bomb to make it, get it where it needs to be and then arm it, couldn’t the good guys figure out where it was placed and deactivate it, like, 4 days before it was supposed to go off? Just once?
Everything Everywhere is even better on a second watch!
(I didn’t expect to be seeing it again so soon, but I told myself I’d watch it when it came to my local indie theater – and, well, they sure surprised me with it this week.)
Gosh, this second time was awesome. I totally understood the entire film’s arc this time around, since I wasn’t so focused on my brain’s Analysis Mode running rampant.
- You’ve got Evelyn, pulled in so many different directions, in a very chaotic and frantic opening. It only seems to get crazier once she’s tasked to save the Multiverse.
- While she isn’t meant to, she finds it hard to stop looking at her other selves, ones that are more successful than her – either in class, in strength, in skill, in romantic pursuits… And she decides that she will use all the power she can muster to become as powerful as Jobu Tupaki, so she can defeat it.
- However, after her mind fractures, she finally understands what is means to experience every universe all at the same time, and at this point, in seeing every regret and mistake she had made, she is lured into Jobu’s nihilistic mantra. She’s about to throw herself into the Nothing Matters Bagel, about to scream, slap, cut Waymond out of her life, in every life, until she realizes, and understands from Waymond, that everything matters. It just matters to you, and to everyone around you that you encounter. It’s no use to fight or agonize over the infinitesimal sum of everything, since that itself doesn’t matter. Cherish your hand of cards, and those of the people close to you, because that’s what this universe is about.
- And in the end, even if she may not agree with her daughter all the time, Evelyn realizes that she needs to be there to support her, be open, and let her be her own person.
- And to not dwell on the what if’s and what-could-have-been’s. To make whatever this moment is matter, not let it pass her by.
Love, love, love this movie. It’s so human and grounded at times, but so wacky and wild in others. And the balance between it all is so fun.
I think it does get a bit long overall, but I can’t think of a scene I’d want left out. Maybe just a tightening of the pacing.
I liked the detail near the start of the IRS meeting, where you hear of various things Evelyn counted as “business expenses” but were actually hobbies – things that she actually does in other universes – singing, cooking, dancing, etc.
This second time around I also caught onto the fact that she stabs IRS Waymond in one of the multiverse montages, among the many other things you see she can/may do to other Waymonds across the multiverse (throwing rice at him, slapping him, etc… It’s a truly heartbreaking moment when she gives up on life like that.
The middle-of-the-movie insane Multiverse Montage is still so freaking cool to see. I heard someone say “holy shit…” after in the audience. Today’s audience was pretty lively and packed too. Cool to see.
I’m sure I’ll be getting this film on disc in the future, just to be able to add it to my collection. It’s great. I think I’ll also need to watch it with subtitles one day, as sometimes the theater speakers are a bit much, or character’s thick accents or whispers are too quiet to understand every piece of dialogue.
Cool tip: Look up Jamie Lee Curtis’ social media pages. She loves this movie, and is promoting it way, way more than any normal actor would, especially for a smaller part as hers. It’s amazing and kinda heartwarming. She really loves this film, message, and style, and it shows. She’s also really shitting on Doctor Strange 2 as the much bigger blockbuster, which is funny as well.
I dunno, sounds like it was going into something interesting there to actually see a protagonist fall into the hopelessness of reality, only to do the cliche move of rejoicing that nothing matters because that means it only has to matter to you kind of crap, that still doesn’t solve or negate the original issue. Wish they’d stop doing that and actually leave viewers for once with the message that, yeah, it’s all hopeless and there’s nothing to feel good about in that. The Mist was onto something.
I dunno man, the view of nothing matters and why bother is a pretty terrible way to go about life that’ll bring you nothing but pain.
Not really relevant if it’s accurate. Besides, that’s pretty much all I feel anyway. It’s why I spend my time playing a simulation where I murder other human beings; there isn’t really anything more worthwhile to do with my time. Just once, I wish a movie would carry that message instead of shy from it. Be far more entertaining than the usual nauseating hope.
Ninja Assassin (2008)
Raizo, a ninja assassin, decides to go against his own clan after something important to him happens. Obviously this leads to a sequence of events where he is forced to battle ninjas in different contrived action sequences.
The film is directed by James McTeigue after he did V For Vendetta.
I forgot how much I love this ridiculous, dumb movie.
I mean, beyond a dope ass soundtrack by Ilan Eshkeri, and the fantastic action set pieces it really isn’t all that good… suffers from sub par acting, and feels cheap. But god damn those action set pieces.
Some people probably don’t like the CG blood, but I feel like they went with a comic booky look to it that really just works with the overall tone of the movie (which feels like it’s an adaptation of a comic book).
The action sequence in the middle of the movie that leads into a bizarre foot chase down a heavily trafficked street where black clad, katana wielding ninjas are flipping over cars while chasing the injured hero… I love it.
The sequence where the fucking Europol invade the ninja hideout in Japan with rocket launchers and shit is some of the stupidest shit I’ve seen, yet really entertaining.
Also a contribution to cinemas showing films in appointed times on a designated schedule if I recall. Hitchcock didn’t want it played like films at the time were shown as occasionally because the audience drifting in and out might have lead to confusion and spoilers.
Werewolves Within was a fun little take on werewolves. It’s set in a small town in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard. A small group of the quirkiest residents quickly get cut off from what little civilization there is and they suspect they’re being hunted.
It isn’t as funny as advertised and I almost wish there wasn’t actually a werewolf and it was all just their paranoia and deep rooted mistrust of each other and their differences but it was still good. Lily from AT&T (Milana Vayntrub) was probably the best part. I think she likes being Lily but you could tell she relished the chance to do something else.
Other than that, I liked how much effort the movie put in to keep you guessing who the werewolf is. There’s so many red herrings and misdirections while throwing so many clues at you as to who the werewolf is or isn’t. And I really appreciated that a certain superstition they mention is actually (somewhat) based in reality.
Overall… 6.5. Enjoyable and clever, it simultaneously goes above and beyond in some areas but not far enough in others. Also, I’m still trying to figure out why the werewolf didn’t eat the one character when they had the chance… I have an idea but it still doesn’t reflect well on the werewolf’s survival instincts in that specific moment.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. All in all it was a movie I’m happy I didn’t waste money on in the cinema. One of the things that really ruined the movie for me was the awful visuals. Not that the plot or acting was great. The majority of the fantastical visuals looked like it belonged in a animated film and didn’t blend with world. It became an eyesore and likewise alot of the animation looked janky. I’m impressed that with all that money and effort they often look cheap. Not as bad as Black Panter’s cgi hell climax fight.
Im glad my last MCU film in cinema was End Game.
Score 4/10
I hope they print this quote on the blu-ray box
It was closer to roller coaster then a film.
Dr Strange: Multiverse of madness
Different from what i expected tbh. Most Marvel movies have a simple cinematography style, this one didn’t for some reason. Some neat, professional kind of angles were chosen which makes me believe the creators took this project and its story pretty serious. The only problems is: the acting and the hasty pace of the movie went fully against that.
This is definitely cinema for simple minded people who like a pre-chewed story. Things in this movie litterly happen for no reason at all. The flick starts with Spanish Girl™ falling out of a random universe with Stephen Strange’s corpse and bringing an octopus-like creature with her that trashes the city. Somehow Strange makes it his life goal to get her back and shit. Que to Wanda being le bad because (see: Wandavision). Shit happens, some funny cameo’s, a few battles later and Wanda ain’t bad anymore. Cool.
I don’t hate this movie. I actually enjoyed it for what it was. Visuals and cinematography were nice. The people behind this movie have a really, REALLY creative mind. Some things you just don’t make up on the spot. Kudos for that! I’m just a bit let down about the unnecessary aspects and the fact that too many ideas were squished in a (imo) short run time.
Rating: 7
I feel attacked.
It has its weaknesses for sure but I found it oddly compelling. Much more engaging than the first one, for sure. I might be “simple minded” (definitely pretty aggressive tbh ) but I was entertained despite its obvious flaws. I usually just look to enjoy a movie first and then figure out why or why not later and, for this one (like with Endgame, which I adore despite its ludicrous time travel plot, to borrow an example from a certain Jedi Master), I just found more to like than not and that most of the flaws were overlookable (except when Wanda clearly took America’s power at the end only for that to apparently not be the case, that remains a headscratcher).
I would say she’s more misguided and selfish, not to mention corrupted by (a dark) magic (book) and then realizes that.
Two words: Sam Raimi
…along with the executives who gave him lots of free rein to paint it in his style; Plus the team at Marvel who went along with his vision and crafted it all.
I didn’t catch all of this, I’m not aware of most of his films, but apparently there’s a lot of parrallels you can gather from his other films compared to Doctor Strange 2.
It’s not perfect parrallels, but some are pretty darn close.
I didn’t catch most of these either (though I’ve only really watched his Spider-Man films) but it does make sense that a director would have recurring motifs and idiosyncrasies on top of a signature style.
i just want to say, sam raimi’s evil dead 2 was a formative movie experience for me. everyone should watch it. it’s hilarious.
I’ve only just watched this one… for the first time in 15 years, I think?
Shrek 2 still holds up as the superior sequel. Still love this film, especially with my smart adult brain now.
Ah man, this sequel is lots of fun, lots of well-set-up jokes and puns, and funny fantasy twists on real world Hollywood/Beverly Hills and pop culture.
For all the jokes of “kids love to watch and rewatch animated movies”, it’s true. This was my movie back in the day. Though I was only 6 or 7 so there’s a lot I saw here I know I missed back in the day…
The introduction of the King and Queen was great, with overlapping scripts and editing between them and the Ogres, really nice to see.
The Dinner Scene remains one of the best, tense, and entertaining scenes of the film. Very well-done.
And obviously the ‘I Need a Hero’ montage is the peak of the film. Awesome cover with great action and tension surrounding the Ball.
Music is still a very nice jukebox list that fits the themes and characters of the movie. “Accidentally in Love” and “Ever Fallen in Love” being pretty apt.
Shrek 2 is the best animated movie ever made. Period.